Chapter 213: [Side Story] Barren Lands of Winter Surgence (2)


    "Hah... Hah..." A pant could be hearding from Renryth whilst he continued to cast out his spells. "...just what is the meaning of this? Why are there so much"


    "Now''s not the time!" Lier stated as her de protruded out forwardsoon shing at another foe and turning them to grey-ash. "Let''s wrap things up here before anything else!"


    "I hope you have a good exnation for this," shaking his head in a tired motion, Renryth began to chant out a spell. "The breeze that blows of thend... Come!"


    [ Windstorm Mage - Breath of Winds ]


    [ Breath of Winds Lv. 3 ] [ 200 MP ] [ Cooldown: 2 Minutes ]


    With the power of the winds by the side of the Windstorm Mage, allies within the surrounding area of a 3m radius will have their Speed increased by 12% for 20 seconds whilst having their health recover by 50% of the user''s magic.


    ...


    "Ah? Thanks for the agility boost, Renryth!" Lier happily shouted out as her movements became more precise and quicker. "Hah...!" Swinging her sword in an arc, the woman shed at the mobs around the area, forcing them back to a corner.


    Following up with her attacksRenryth soon sent out a storm of sharp winds over to the corned monsters, thus turning them to grey ash in the next moment.


    "...prey..." With theirsts word uttered out into the distant winds, the monsters were now cleared out of the area.


    "Phew. That''s done!" Lier stretched her arms whilst she sheathed her sword. Moments after, her head now turned to Renryth who was madly making his way over to Lier. "Now then... Thanks for the help back there, Renryth. If you hadn''t been there, it might have taken albeit much longer."


    "Now can you exin what this was all about?" Renryth raised his brow. "For twilight monsters to be here... Has the attackers... Huh?" his words fumbled as he noted a small child was desperately clinging onto Lier. "...who is this?"


    "M-Mama... Is he... Good?" The child mumbled.


    "She... Well," Lier thought to herself as she looked for the right words to exin. "To put it simply, I found her wounded and well... This happened."


    "...so you found her stranded here?" Renryth calmly closed his eyes. "I see. Her parents might''ve..."


    "..." Lier solemnly bit her lips as she silently nced at the sobbing girl. With a gentle pat on her head, Lier slowly calmed the kid down. "What do we do about her? She''s wounded and..."


    "For now... We should head back to the campsite first. If there were plenty of twilight monsters here..." he nced around the area cautiously. "Who says there wouldn''t be more of them? We can ask the kid questionster. Right now, let''s guarantee our safety."


    ...


    Bareth''s in, Pinewood ForestCampsite [ Day / Clear ].


    Upon taking the kid back with them to the campsite that was nearby the hills in which Lier had slept, the group was immediately greeted by the sight of a young man with ck hair as he angrily stormed his way towards the group.


    "Lier! Were you dozing off that much? Why the heck were you" Stopping at his sentence mid-way, Sanke turned towards the child that was hiding shyly behind the legs of Lier. "A kid...?"


    "M-Mama... This guy... Scary..." The child uttered out.


    "S-Scary?!" Sanke cried out as his face soon became flustered at a sudden realization. "Wait... Mama?! Lier... You have a kid!?"


    "What? No, no! I''m a single woman who''s in her thirties!" Lier hurriedly replied. "We just happen to find this girl or wellI found this girl surrounded by twilight monsters. Did you think I''d just leave her alone like that?"


    "You were fighting against monsters without your armour?" Sanke raised his brow. "What were you thinking?! Especially if it was twilight monsters..."


    "Ahem... If I hadn''t been there in the nick of time, Lier would''ve probably been in big trouble," he coughed.


    "Ugh, you guys..." Lier red at the two men as she sighed. "I can handle myself, alright? Renryth being there just sped up the process. I can do against fights even without my armour for protection. I won''t get hurt."


    "Sure... You may be the great Knight of Shimmering Winter, the all-powerful knight of Fal on par with Ebony, but you''re at your weakest state right now," Sanke shook his head helplessly. "Don''t overexert yourself, will you?"


    "Sanke... I told you, it''s nothing," Lier stated firmly. "You''re making a big fuss over nothing."


    Sanke frowned at Lier''s reply. "I''m making a big fuss over nothing? Lier you" as he was about to interject into her reasoning, his sentence was soon cut short by the small mumbles of the child behind Lier.


    "...mama... hungry..." The child pulled on Lier''s pants whilst muttering out. "Food..."


    "Sigh... We can talk about thister, Sanke," Lier stated as she turned to nce around the area of the campsite set up by Renryth and Sanke so that the group had a ce to sleep in for the night. "Ahem... Now, where are the gathered resources? I''ll cook up dinner, now!"


    "Hah... Whatever," Sanke replied with a sigh. "The ingredients are over by the tent. I managed to find some wild animals around, so make something good, will you? It''s been a while since we had any meat."


    "Oh really? That''s great!" Lier sped her hands happily. "I''ll get right on to it, so keep your hunger at bay for at least an hour and a half or so! I''ll be finished making a delicious dinner then!"


    "An hour and a half? That''s way too long..." he red at the back of Lier, however, he couldn''t really beining. At the very least, they could still eat. "Sigh... I''ll just take a rest in the tent then if we''re waiting for that long."


    "Mama..." The kid uttered out with a slightly trembling voice, contemting on whether or not she should follow after Lier.


    "...Sanke, who says you''re going to get a rest?" Renryth folded his arms. "You have someone to watch over."


    "W-What?" Sanke blinked in a dumbfounded manner at Renryth''s words. "You''re asking me to watch over her? No this is..."


    "...just about any time now, Lier will be calling for me to light up the firewood and to help her with the cooking," Renryth shrugged. "So, my hands won''t be free to watch over her. And besides, she''s wounded so it''s best you help treat her wounds since you''re most suited for it."


    "Renryth..." As Sanke was about to continue on, a loud shout protruded out by the distance.


    "Renryth! I need you!" Lier shouted out. "Come over here!"


    "See, I told you," Renryth nodded his head as he patted Sanke''s shoulder. "Anyways, good luck with this."


    "Hey, Renryth!" he cried out to the old man, however, his voice didn''t reach him. "Ugh... Seriously?" Now being left alone in the campsite with the kid, his attention turned towards her. "...hey kid. You must be pretty tired, right? You can rest by the tent while I treat your..."


    "No... Tents are scary..." The kid answered. "The big bad wolf might blow it away!"


    "..." he sighed. "I assure you... There''s no big bad wolf here... Just go take a rest in the"


    "No! Big bad wolf is scary! Then there''s the cold witch..." her voice trembled. "Then... A kid who hates everyone... I''m scared..."


    "Hah..." Sanke continued to let out a sigh as he hesitated to move his hand over to the kid. With a deep breath, the man ced his hand onto the kid''s headpatting her. "It''s alright. I''ll be there to fend off against those baddies. So, just be at ease."


    "R-Really...?" The kid muttered out.


    "Of course," he nodded his head. "Now, let''s go, shall we?"


    "O-Okay...!"


    ...


    CampsiteSanke''s Tent [ Day / Clear ].


    With the sess of convincing the girl to rest, Sanke hurriedly took the kid over to his tent. In the next moment, he tucked the girl away into bed.


    "Mr... Are you sure there won''t be any big bad wolf?" she mumbled out.


    "Yeah, nothing will happen. Don''t worry about it," Sanke reassured. "Just rest for a bit before dinner," patting on the kid''s head, his eyes now searched around the tent. "Now... Where are the herbal and medical bags I''ve brought..."


    "H-Herbal and medical bags...? Isn''t that... Bad?"


    "No. It''s to treat your wounds," Sanke answered as he noted the bag by the corner of the tent. "Ah. There it is," reaching out towards ithe soon opened up the bag and took out a small red potion and a few bandages. "Show me where your wounds are, I''ll treat it now."


    "Mmm... I-If you say so..." The girl bit her lips as if hesitant. However, she obediently revealed the wounds on her legs. But, in the next moment, the kid soon took off her ragged clothing which slightly made Sanke''s vision shake in shock. "Here are the wounds..."


    "T-This is...?" Ignoring the fact that the kid had taken off everything on her, his mouth opened wide in shock at the sight of something else. "Kid... These aren''t just monster wounds... Now is it?"


    On the body of the kid, not only were there open wounds everywhereThere were countless bruises and scars on her body. As if she had beenshed out on many times.